CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2016
| Author | Bubalo, Iva |
|---|---|
| Title | The Feminist Analysis of Croatian State's Post-Conflict Reconstruction Efforts to Address the Issue of Wartime Sexual Violence |
| Summary | In June 2015, after three years of negotiation and lobbying by different state and non-state actors, the Croatian state has implemented The Law on the Rights of Victims of Sexual Violence during the Armed Aggression against the Republic of Croatia in the Homeland War which provides financial, psycho-social, medical and legal support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) that occurred during the Homeland War (5 August 1990 – 30 June 1996). However, in order to better understand implications of this law, this thesis explores why and how the Croatian state engaged in addressing the issue of CRSV and implemented the law for reparations in its post-conflict reconstruction efforts. Thus, by drawing on a feminist theory of wartime sexual violence, and by situating the Croatian state within the political, social and historical context, this thesis points to barriers that underpinned political efforts to substantially address women’s needs in post-conflict Croatia. Findings of this research are based on 13 interviews conducted with stakeholders involved in the process of making this policy framework. Process tracing methods and discourse analysis are also employed as methodological tools in this analysis. This thesis shows that the law-making process had been largely incited by international community actors and proceeded due to the Social Democratic government’s acknowledgement of the necessity to address women’s needs in the post-conflict environment. Notwithstanding, Croatian political institutions failed to take into account the gendered character of war and wartime sexual violence. That is, wartime sexual violence has been narrowly conceptualized as an exceptional and abhorrent phenomenon, therefore, decontextualized from the gender order and the continuum of violence. Thus, the lack of commitment towards gender basis of CRSV resulted in further entrenchment of women’s victimhood and the lack of awareness of the necessity to address gender inequality in a wider sense. Furthermore, this thesis shows how women’s victimhood served as an instrument for patriarchal and nationalistic political interests which are reflected in the law-making process and outcomes of this policy framework. In that sense, sexual and gender based violence, both in war and peace, as well as the needs that emanate from it, has proved to be only of secondary interest for Croatian institutions. Hence, by this kind of politics, gendered peace and justice remains an elusive aim. |
| Supervisor | Meger Sara |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2016/bubalo_iva.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University